Best CRM Certifications for Small Business Owners

There are several Microsft CRM certification courses for users to select. 

But how do you know which one is best?

I’ve compiled a comparison of Microsoft courses, allowing you to determine which is right for you!

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals is often considered the best CRM certification course overall.

This course is one of the most popular learning tools businesses implement.

What is Microsoft Dynamics Fundamentals? 

Microsoft Dynamics Fundamentals is a popular business tool and CRM platform streamlining various business operations.

Additionally, this software assists companies with enterprise resource planning (ERP), automating things like:

• Businesses processes
• Supply chain functionality
• Accounting tasks
• Inventory management
• Sales pipeline tasks

Why Choose Microsoft Dynamics Fundamentals?

This CRM certification is right for you if you’re seeking to:

• Show current or future employers you understand Dynamics 365 tasks
• Understand the customer engagement functionalities part of Dynamics 365
• Showcase your understanding of business operations and customer engagement
• Gain certification to move onto the next level of Microsoft Dynamics

This certification is the perfect beginner’s course to understand marketing, sales, and services.

Microsoft Dynamics Fundamentals Pros and Cons

Some of the advantages associated with Dynamics Fundamentals include the following:

• It covers a broad range of topics, including sales, marketing, and customer service
• It provides project management and operations introductory lessons
• The courses are self-paced or instructor-led

On the other hand, a list of cons associated with this program includes:

• The courses don’t go too deep into detail (you won’t get advanced training)
• The price may be out of budget for some people

Microsoft Dynamics Fundamentals Cost

The Microsoft Dynamics Fundamentals exam costs $99 to take. The modules covering what the test covers are free!

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate 

The next course I’ll review is the Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate program. This course is considered the best certification for customer support-related fields.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate? 

Microsoft’s Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate program is an online training course that helps companies improve their support team.

Several businesses utilize this program to use the Microsoft Helpdesk software better, improving the customer support experience.

Why Choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate? 

These training modules help functional consultants implement Dynamics 365 Customer Service solutions into a business.

You should choose this Microsoft-certified program if you want to find solutions on:

• Customer service
• Efficiency
• Customer satisfaction
• Reliability
• Quality

Also, this program’s an excellent addition to a resume or CV.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate Pros and Cons 

Some of the benefits of this course include the following:

• Provides training on how to create business rules
• It helps you set up automations
• Includes modules on analytics and business intelligence
• You learn how to configure omnichannel customer support and scheduling tools

The drawbacks to this training course include:

• There’s an emphasis on Microsoft Dataverse (may not apply to all IT professionals)
• You need a minimum of one to three years of experience as a functional consultant using the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate Cost

This CRM certification test costs $165 and is available in multiple languages.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate

Next, I’ll review Microsoft’s Sales Functional Consultant Associate certification.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate? 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate is a CRM certification that teaches you how to:

• Configure Dynamics 365 Sales
• Manage everyday sales charts and tables
• Learn how to use and configure additional tools and services Mircosoft offers

Why Choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate? 

This CRM certification is perfect for various people, including:

• Functional consultants
• Professionals currently working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales
• Developers who need to strengthen their consulting skills

Put simply; this CRM certification is an excellent way to boost your career. 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate Pros and Cons 

The pros associated with this course include the following:

• The training courses cover lead management, handling opportunities, quotes, and processing orders
• Sales professionals learn how to configure pricing lists and complete a product catalog
• It covers data management
• The training materials are free

On the other hand, the cons of this course include:

• It requires you to learn MS Power Platform

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate Cost

While the certification courses are free, the MS Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate exam costs $165.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate

The MS Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate is the top marketing certification course for Dynamics 365.

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate?

This CRM certification program covers MS Dynamics 365 Marketing tools and functionality.

Basically, this program helps businesses get the most out of MS Dynamic 365 Marketing in their day-to-day operations.

Why Choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate?

The MS Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate is the best way for businesses to:

• Learn how to create and manage marketing strategies
• Learn the MS Dynamics 365 Marketing Capabilities
• Manage leads, contacts, and accounts
• Manage events and webinars
• Create and maintain marketing email campaigns
• Build customer relationships

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate Pros and Cons 

The advantages of this course include the fact that it helps marketing professionals learn how to use Microsoft software efficiently.

The features you learn how to use include the following:

• Email marketing
• Marketing automation
• Marketing forms and web pages
• Lead and contact management techniques

The only downside to this program is that there is a significant overlap between marketing, sales, and support modules. There isn’t a sole focus on marketing aspects.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate Cost

The online courses for this certification are free, and the exam costs $165.

Microsoft Customer Data Platform Specialty

The final Microsoft program I’ll review is the Data Platform Speciality course, one of the top CRM certifications for data management.

What Is Microsoft Customer Data Platform Specialty?

MS Customer Data Platform Specialty helps data specialists reveal new insights into their business’s contact network or marketing engagement activities.

Numerous self-paced or instructor-led certification courses are designed to help increase customer retention.

Why Choose Microsoft Customer Data Platform Specialty?

It’s best to choose the Customer Data Platform Specialty courses to gain insights into your company’s customers and database.

Essentially, this certification is great for learning about customer insights and discovering various ways to utilize them to propel your business.

Microsoft Customer Data Platform Specialty Pros and Cons 

The benefits of taking this course are that you’ll learn the following details:

• Organizing key performance indicators
• Preparing and segmenting contact profile data
• Training in advanced data enrichment
• Learning how to use AI for predictions and forecasting

The only downside to this course is that it is the most advanced CRM certification Microsoft offers. Therefore, you can expect the course load to be challenging.

Microsoft Customer Data Platform Specialty Cost

This exam costs $165, but the exam preparation courses are free.